The present invention relates generally to gauges. In particular, the present invention relates to a gauge system featuring an analog display of a digital source signal.
Analog gauges are prevalent in many industries from process management to HVAC to aviation. Some of the more common gauges include an indication needle against a background scale. The position of the needle relative to the scale indicates a measurement of a condition. The conditions displayed often are that of a process or a system.
One example of a common practice is to use a gauge to display the pressure of a process fluid. In a typical example, this was only accomplished by taking a pressure reading with a device that would transmit a signal in a non-electrical form, such as pneumatically, to the gauge. A mechanical device within the gauge would use the received pneumatic pressure to drive a mechanical assembly which would ultimately rotate a needle relative to the scale to indicate the measured value.
More recently, sensors producing an electrical output signal have been developed and popularized due to ever-increasing affordability and technology improvements. A common practice with this type of sensor is to transmit its electronic signal to a digital display, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a light emitting diode (LED) display, to display the sensor's measurement value. While effective, this type of gauge is suboptimal for certain applications. For instance, gauges are often installed outdoors where LCD and LED displays have poor readability in direct sunlight.
Attempts have been made to use an analog gauge display with a sensor that produces an electric signal; however, these attempts have used expensive and inefficient components. There is a need for a lower cost and more efficient analog gauge capable of being used with a sensor that produces an electric signal.